Christmas dinner in Japan (or anywhere) - be creative!

As many of you already know, Christmas is celebrated on December 24th in Japan, with stores removing all decorations and slashing the price of unsold items on the morning of the 25th. Christmas dinner for most families involves chicken, bought at KFC or a rival fast-food outlet and a cake of some description. Because I can't bring myself to do that, our family (and extended family) try to be slightly more creative when it comes to our get-together on Christmas Day (not Eve). I always take a day off on Christmas, as it's not a public holiday here.

Here's what we had last year. It was pretty cold so we went with lots of carbohydrates.

From top to bottom:
(1) Christmas cake (made by the kids) - three different flavored roll cakes sliced, make a mountain and cover with lots and lots of whipped cream (with green coloring), topped off with chocolate stars and shapes

(2) OLAF - He looked almost too good to eat. My sister-in-law found the recipe in a magazine, and she did a great job. Your standard mashed-potatoes need to sculptured into three sections of the body. Use nori (seaweed) for the buttons, eyes and mouth. A thin piece of Japanese radish (daikon) for his teeth is sufficient. His hair and arms is rosemary. Baby carrots and broccoli complete the dish.

(3) My wife's paella - as we were busy cleaning the house for our guests, she decided to take the easy way out and use the rice cooker. Does it matter? NO. It still tastes great and so simple to make - paella powder and a pack (or two) of mixed seafood from the supermarket. Add some water, and PRESTO! It's done.

(4) Full roast chicken - Mother-in-law didn't want to be outdone so she prepared perfectly cooked birds (we actually had 2) with pumpkin, broccoli and slices of tomato.

(5) Penne bolognese - I was in charge of buying drinks, vacuuming and more, so I decided to make something easy that would please everyone and provide plenty of energy for the kids to play with their new toys.

Don't forget to throw in some healthy appetizers like freshly sliced carrot and cucumber (with a miso-based dip) or a baby-shrimp cocktail. Some wine, beer and a little sparkling (for your toast, KANPAI) will keep the party going all day.

Whatever you choose to make or buy this Christmas, don't be afraid to think outside the box. Have a good one. Stay safe.